1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to buildings and structures for housing livestock and other large animals and for sheltering such animals from the elements. More specifically, the present invention relates to modular, reconfigurable, and relocatable buildings and structures for sheltering and housing livestock and other large animals.
2. The Relevant Technology
Animals, and particularly large animals and livestock, are typically more rugged and require less care than humans. Nevertheless, most animals do require some shelter from the elements in order to thrive. This is particularly so for livestock that are kept in extremely hot, rainy, or cold weather environments. Thus, it should be readily appreciated that providing proper shelter for livestock and other animals is of high concern to owners of these animals. The problem is most acute for animals that are too large to be sheltered within the owner's house or garage when the weather is inclement, and which are typically confined within pastures or corrals without natural shelter such as trees and the like.
In answer to the need to provide shelter for their animals, animal owners often house their animals, and particularly livestock, within barns, stables, sheds, or other permanent structures. These structures are generally adequate to provide shelter from sun, rain, snow, and extreme cold and damp. Additionally, such permanent structures are generally sturdy and durable and designed to withstand the animals pushing on, rubbing against, and even chewing on the walls thereof.
Such barns, sheds, and stables may be fully enclosed, but are often provided with openings that permit access to larger enclosures. The larger enclosures typically comprise open areas, such as corrals and pastures, in which the animals may gain exposure to sun and open air and which provide space for the animals to graze and move about.
One additional use for such structures is to house female animals during the birthing process. The privacy afforded by the shelter is advantageous during the birthing process, and the shelter also gives the newly birthed animal a greater chance of initial survival.
Also, conventional shelters are often provided with areas which are blocked off in such a way as to allow smaller animals to enter, but to prevent the entrance of larger animals. Such a use is often made in colder weather environments where foals, calves, and other young animals are born during the harshness of winter. Providing a warm dry place for the young animals to take shelter and sleep without the environment being soiled and dampened by larger animals is highly beneficial.
Conventional animal shelters, on the other hand, also exhibit certain shortcomings. For instance, conventional animal shelters are typically constructed from cinder block, concrete, tin, and/or wood. The construction thereof is, accordingly, a somewhat time consuming and expensive process. The high degree of time and expense involved in the construction of such permanent structures can be prohibitive to many animal owners in providing adequate shelters for their animals.
Additionally, conventional animal shelters are typically fixed in place and permanently anchored in the ground with concrete and the like. Such structures are not highly efficient in situations where the livestock need to be regularly relocated to new pastures or other locations. For instance, when livestock consumes the forage in a single corral, pasture, or range it is usually required that the livestock be relocated. In fact, livestock are often rotated among a number of corrals, pastures, or ranges. In such situations, a single, permanently fixed shelter as provided by the prior art is inadequate. Additionally, due to the cost of conventional shelters, it is impractical to build a shelter in each enclosure the animals are to be relocated to. Consequently, in many cases, either no shelter is provided, or only a single shelter, confined to a single location, is provided. Other pastures, corrals, and/or ranges are left without shelters.
The fixed, non-relocatable nature of conventional shelters presents further shortcomings, in that many animal owners frequently relocate or move about with their animals. Consider sheep herders, rodeo participants, and horse owners with relatively transient lifestyles or no suitable permanent location for building stables. Permanent structures are prohibitively expensive and/or impractical for many such people.
As a further consideration, conventional, permanently fixed shelters need to be frequently cleaned, a distasteful and time-consuming task, and one for which most animal owners would agree that it would be beneficial to be able to avoid. An inexpensive and easily relocatable animal shelter would eliminate this need.
Accordingly, a need exists for a relatively inexpensive, relocatable animal shelter that remedies many or all of the above-discussed short-comings of conventional animal shelters. Particularly, a relocatable animal shelter which could be inexpensively constructed and conveniently deconstructed, transported, and reconstructed would be an advantageous addition to the art. Such a relocatable animal shelter would be further beneficial if it were sufficiently strong and durable to house large animals such as cattle and horses securely for long periods of time.